The MetroStars played their best first half (ever?), scoring three goals that stood the rest of the way, shutting out Los Angeles to sweep the home-and-home. Amado Guevara and Eddie Gaven were terrific, the former scoring one and assisting on the latter's two. The Metros are now in sole possession of first in the East.

With Guevara, Eddie Pope, and Jonny Walker all returning from national team duties, they regained their place in the lineup (Guevara at the expense of Pablo Brenes with Gaven moving ot his usual left side, Pope for Kenny Arena). Gilberto Flores started his third straight game, with Joselito Vaca still out with an injury.

The Metros started strong, but it was LA who had the first good chance of the game, Walker making a fingertips stop on a Carlos Ruiz breakaway. That kept the game scoreless... And it was all Metros from this point on.

In the 16th minute, Guevara opened the scoring, taking a ball from Ricardo Clark and dialing long distance, blasting a shot from outside the box and inside the right post past the helpless Kevin Hartman. And then, it was Gaven time.

In the four-minute stretch starting in the 39th, the teenager doubled his career goal total. First, he took a pass from Guevara, undressed Marcelo Saragosa, and put one into the Galaxy net from close range. Then, the Honduran got Gaven the ball on the right side of the box, and the youngster curved the shot around the LA defense and into the upper left corner.

And that was all she wrote. The Galaxy tried to create something in the second half, but the Metro defense completely shut them down, LA going without a single shot on goal after the break. The Metros could have put one in on the last play of the game, but Guevara hit the post and sub Sergio Galvan Rey was brought down in the box, with no penalty called. But it didn't matter, as the scoreline already reflected the total domination.